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Insurer RSA recently conducted a survey of more than 2,000 adults to gauge the status of fire safety procedures in workplaces and the awareness of the British working class regarding the same. The study revealed that a quarter of the people in the UK have never taken part in a full fire evacuation drill despite government guidelines that such drills should be conducted at all worksites at least once a year.

Six per cent of the people interviewed said they would stop to pick up tea or coffee before rushing out of the building following a fire alert. One in 20 workers revealed their office building did not have any clearly marked fire exits.

One in ten workers felt they would probably sit at their desk for a minute despite hearing the fire alarm and knowing that they have to vacate the building as soon as possible. It took an average of 36 seconds for people to take notice and respond to a fire alarm. Forty-two per cent said they would first get hold of their personal belongings before making an exit from the building. According to the London Fire Brigade, it should take no more than two and half minutes to evacuate a building but the people quizzed for the study seemed to have overlooked the directive conveniently.

Global UK Business Director at RSA, David Geer was shocked to see the dismal state of fire safety practices in the UK. He stressed that every building must have a fire evacuation plan, a detailed layout and clearly marked emergency exists. He said it is imperative that all staff be trained and made to participate in mock fire drills. Geer added that all workers must know the location of the nearest fire exit in their office building.

RSA is now urging all the business establishments to take fire safety practices seriously and ensure compliance at all times to avoid any risk to the life and livelihood of employees.

Companies need to be sure that they are giving the correct instructions with effective policies around health and safety decisions. Fire Risk Assessments will benefit organisations in enabling them to understand their responsibilities for fire safety, and put in place measures to control the risks of fire as required under legislation.

Engagement of employees in the working of a business is considered an important tool in improving its health. Acas, the employment relations service, has recently highlighted the importance of this in a paper published earlier this month. The areas where employee engagement help are in the retention of employees because of increased loyalty, which, in turn, boosts the morale of the employee and also allows for greater productivity in the company.

The line managers are in the first line of communication so they play a vital role in increasing employee engagement. Along with this there is also the need to have a good team of senior managers who play a complementary role to the line manager. The senior managers and the line managers need to work in close harmony so that the employee develops a feeling of trust. Effective communication between the employee and the management, continuous feedback and the opportunity to improve individual skills also contribute to greater employee engagement.

The paper has used the factors listed in the McLeod Report published in July 2009 to suggest a possible roadmap towards achieving the desired level of employee engagement. They are leadership, employee voice, engaging managers and integrity. A brief explanation of the factors follows.

For an employee to be truly engaged in the activities of the business organisation he/she should have a clear idea of the purpose of the business and his/her potential contribution to it.

Engaging managers are an asset. They provide a clear idea of the expectations of the employer to the employee. Also, each employee should be accorded the respect due to him/her and a policy of equal treatment be followed.

To make the employee a part of the organisation one needs to listen to his/her views and give them proper importance and if possible implement them.

Integrity of purpose and behaviour on the part of the manager will also lead to a sense of belonging and trust.

Workplace Law offer NEBOSH Distance Learning, a unique web-based training programme leading to the award of the NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health. The course offers all the advice and information needed for managers to successfully manage appropriate policies and procedures and improve upon management skills to help promote employee engagement within in the workplace.